ITV responds to claims Jonathan Ross Show is to be axed amid falling ratings
Show has been regularly beaten in ratings by The Graham Norton Show
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Your support makes all the difference.ITV has responded to speculation that The Jonathan Ross Show is due to be cancelled because of falling ratings.
The long-running chat show was reported this week to have been partly shelved by ITV, with the traditional spring series being axed while Ross participates as a judge on the forthcoming ITV music contest The Masked Singer.
The Sun claimed that the show was being “rested” in spring, with a source saying: “When a show is rested, that usually means a broadcaster is hoping they can find something better to replace it and that certainly seems the case here.”
The series, which will return for just one runin 2020, has experienced declining ratings in recent years, and is comfortably eclipsed in viewers by BBC1’s The Graham Norton Show.
Recent episodes have featured appearances from the likes of Louis Walsh, Liam Payne and Paul Hollywood, along with A-listers including Kristen Stewart and Iggy Pop.
In a statement, ITV said: “The Jonathan Ross Show isn’t being axed and will return to ITV in 2020.”
Ross, meanwhile, will appear as a judge on The Masked Singer alongside Davina McCall, Ken Jeong and Rita Ora. The series, based on a South Korean format, sees mystery celebrities singing from inside flamboyant costumes, with the show’s judges having to guess who they are watching perform.
Celebrities to appear on the most recent US edition of the series included Seal, Patti LaBelle, Kelly Osbourne and Destiny’s Child star Michelle Williams.
The Masked Singer debuts on ITV in January.
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